US 3,973,114 AGranted

Headlamp tilting device in a motor vehicle

AssigneeThe Lucas Electrical Company Limited

InventorFrederick Raymond Patrick Martin

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Abstract

A headlamp tilting system in a motor vehicle has opposite ends of an inner cable connected respectively to the rear axle housing of the vehicle and an intermediate portion of a lever. An outer sleeve surrounds the inner cable and abuts against the underside of the vehicle body. One end of the lever is pivotally mounted on the vehicle body via a damper while the other end thereof is connected to the vehicle headlamps through a further cable and a movement reducer including two spring arms. The damper is arranged to oppose relatively short term changes but to permit relatively long term change so that, under braking and acceleration conditions, the inner cable tilts the headlamps as a result of pivotal movement of the lever. Under changing load conditions, body movement of the lever takes place as permitted by the damper to effect a reduced headlamp tilt.

Claims5

Dependent claims

In a motor vehicle having a body suspended on wheels and a headlamp mounted on said body for tilting movement in a vertical plane, a headlamp tilting device comprising (1) a sensor for sensing the attitude of said body relative to said wheels, said sensor producing an output movement related to said attitude;

and (2) means operably connecting said sensor with said headlamp;
said connecting means including (i) a lever connected with said headlamp and said sensor so that the output movements of said sensor are transmitted through said lever to said headlamp, and (ii) a damper, said damper having (a) a first part fixed relative to said body, (b) a second part movable relative to said first part, and (c) a damping medium which opposes relatively short term movements between said first and second parts;
said lever being pivotally connected to said second part so that, when a relatively short term output movement of said sensor occurs, said lever pivots relative to said second part, whilst when a relatively long term output movement of said sensor occurs, the lever moves bodily relative to said body as a result of relative movement between said first and second parts;
and said sensor, said headlamp and said second part being connected with said lever in such a manner that a relatively long term output movement of said sensor results in a smaller overall headlamp tilting movement than that resulting from the same output movement which occurs for a relatively short term.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.